Recently, fourteen laboratory and public health professionals from the National Health Insurance Authority Bahamas received training in the Laboratory Quality Management Systems.
Laboratory systems are critical to laboratories meeting quality standards, reducing data redundancy, shortening the time between receiving a specimen and producing reports, and improving patient outcomes.
The Laboratory Quality Management Systems Stepwise Improvement Project (LQMS-SIP) is a comprehensive system designed to strengthen medical and public health laboratory services throughout CARICOM.
CARPHA was invited by the National Health Insurance Authority to conduct the training which sought to improve the participants knowledge of the LQMS-SIP checklist and how it relates to the 12 Quality System Essentials of a Quality Management System. Additionally, the training would enable participants to utilise the LQMS-SIP checklist as an assessment tool for medical laboratories.
These objectives were met during the three-day session with presentations such as “Introduction to the 12 Quality System Essentials, how they are related to the ISO 15189, and how they come together to form a Laboratory Quality Management System (LQMS)” and Laboratory Quality Management System – Stepwise Improvement Project (LQMS-SIP) Policies and Procedures. Adequate time was committed for “hands on” application of the newly learnt material under the supervision of the facilitators, with the final day session titled “Practical Application of the LQMS-SIP Checklist.”
The Bahamas National Health Insurance Authority considers its partnership and collaboration between healthcare industry stakeholders as paramount to achieving and maintaining high standards of quality care for the residents of the Bahamas. The Authority is currently collaborating with CARPHA, and the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) to develop and implement quality assessments for NHIA registered laboratories.
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